Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the manufacturing and processing of a superhydrophobic coating solution that is optically clear, easy to manufacture, and easy to apply using a variety of coating deposition methods.
Background
Note that the following discussion may refer to a number of publications and references. Discussion of such publications herein is given for more complete background of the scientific principles and is not to be construed as an admission that such publications are prior art for patentability determination purposes.
It is desirable to be able to modify surfaces in order to impart functional properties that include ease of cleaning, dust repellency, extreme levels of water repellency, self-cleaning, corrosion resistance, and the resistance to steam, staining and the adherence of bacteria and other unwanted deposits, while maintaining their cosmetic properties and general appearance by way of an optically clear surface layer or modification. Additionally, methods of manufacturing surface modifying coatings are desired to be low in cost, easily scalable, and not to involve a large number of complicated steps. While the art is replete with coatings having one or only a few of these benefits, there continues to be a demand and search for a system that has several or all of these desired features.
In particular, rendering a surface hydrophobic is advantageous in providing the aforementioned benefits; however imparting extreme hydrophobicity, or superhydrophobicity, to surfaces helps to ensure that the aforementioned functional properties are present. For example, material surfaces such as fabrics, metals, porcelain, glass, and hair can be hydrophobically modified for ease of cleaning and anti-staining benefits. When these surfaces are made superhydrophobic, not only are the aforementioned benefits imparted, but also the observed level of performance is greatly increased. If an optically clear superhydrophobic coating were applied to these materials, then their cosmetic appearances could be preserved along with providing the maximized level of benefits aforementioned.
Even with the extensive body of work in the area of producing superhydrophobic surfaces, there continues to be a search for a coating system that is superhydrophobic, easy to apply to a variety of surfaces, low in cost and process complexity, and optically clear so that the modified material surfaces maintain their visual cosmetic properties. The present invention are improved compositions and methods of manufacture for superhydrophobic coating solutions that are easy to apply to a variety of surfaces and are optically clear when applied to a wide range of materials.